Travel to the US in January-February

I had a business trip to the US at the end of January, my first trip outside of India since July. There was so much to look forward to. I was traveling to the AVIOS-sponsored Mobile Voice conference in San Jose. AVIOS and the speech technology applications community are now my dear friends and extended family; I have been on the AVIOS Board since Jesse was born (and he is now 18 years old…) So this was an opportunity to update and get updated about speech technology innovations. From there, I traveled to NY, where I met with a number of IBM executives to start career plans for when I conclude my India assignment in summer 2011. NY allowed opportunities for me to meet my actual family. My brother Jerry flew up from Florida so we could be together on the weekend. Evenings allowed me to see many other family and friends for dinner. Amnon was also in NY for part of the time.

First stop, San Jose. Many contrasts to New Delhi. The air was clear and fresh. The pavement was smooth and you could walk on the sidewalks. Streetlights with light-crossing buttons at every corner. Trash bins were plentiful. If there were homeless people on the street, they were mentally ill. Let me comment point by point.

- The air quality differences don’t need to be discussed further….
- The pavement - - It is hard to walk on sidewalks in many areas in Delhi. Pavement is broken, or discontinuous, and you end up walking in the streets (but with zooming traffic, this isn’t pleasant either.)
- Across from the hotel in San Jose, there was a multi-lane major cross-section. The sort of street you would be terrified to cross in New Delhi. But with a single push of a button, the light turned green for pedestrians, traffic stopped, and I ambled across the street.
- Trash bins, everywhere. What a treat! I had tissues in my pocket; I sneezed, and discarded the tissues rather than keeping them with me for the rest of my walk. The streets were free from debris - - perhaps in part because of the frequency of trash bins?
- Homeless people are pervasive in warmer climates like San Jose, since it’s a “nicer place to be” if you have to live on the streets than NYC. Most of the homeless people I came across, though, seemed mentally ill. This is horrifying, but also more easily “digestible” than seeing (for example) homeless families with young children living on the street. I can appreciate that someone mentally ill cannot in many cases live with his own family. If he is placed in a shelter, his mental illness might cause him to prefer the street; and short of incarceration, it might not be possible to “harness” him. This differs from what I see in Delhi all the time - - entire homeless families, mentally intact, sleeping under a “flyover” (bridge).